Tagged: Alpine Stars Stella

Lin is one of the few female motorcyclists I know, but that aside, she is also one of the most interesting people I’ve met.

After all, she is a qualified coaching psychologist specialising in the field of relationships. She also scuba dives, runs, belly dances, enjoys food and wine, loves touring countries on a motorcycle and cooks mean Cantonese cuisine. Oh and she finds time from all that activity to spend lots of time with her family and loved ones as well.

You would think doing all the above requires 48 hours in a day or phenomenal organisational skills, but despite her busy schedule, she managed to take time out to answer KTM Mad’s 8 Random Questions on Motorcycling and Life.

We are privileged, so here we go.

Where is the coolest place you’ve ever been on a bike?

I can’t choose really. My partner and I have ridden to really interesting places both far and near – as far as South New Zealand and the Izu Peninsular of Japan, as nearby as the hawker centre down the road. We enjoy every ride because the same route is different every time: the weather, the time of the day, the people we meet and the topics we talk about.

We enjoy the camaraderie of the biking community, total strangers saying safe riding to us. But most of all, we enjoy the way him and I look out for each other on and off the road.

She’s toured NZ on a bike!

What bike are you currently riding? Tell us about it.

I am currently riding a KTM Duke 125.

I was initially thinking of a Yamaha TW 200 (love the big back tire) but my partner who was riding a Derbi Terra Adventure at the time, brought me to his dealer to check out some bikes. We saw the new KTM Duke 125 there, loved it and bought it.

It is a great bike – very light, looks good (love the hidden exhaust), handles great and has a unique engine sound! My partner likes to say that I am spoilt to have had such a good bike as a beginner and that I should be toughened up riding a beat-up bike first but I think he’s just jealous. ;)

Xiao Li rides a KTM Duke

Which of the 6 emotions do you think is most important for mankind and why? Surprise, fear, happiness, sadness, anger and disgust.

I can’t help but look at it from a academic point of view – it’s an occupation hazard. All emotions are vital, they are, in essence, sending a message to us so we can react accordingly.

Surprise tells us to be alert as things are different; we are out of our routine and should be careful. Fear tells us something bad might happen.

Happiness itself is not an emotion, it is a word overused and so muddy that everyone has their own definition, so let’s just temporarily call it the sum of positive emotions, which includes things that broaden our emotional bank account like interest, joy, gratitude and love.

Sadness tells us we have lost something precious while anger tells us something is unfair and finally disgust tells us something is potentially poisonous and we should steer away from it.

All emotions are neutral, it is what we choose to do with them that matters.

Just by looking at the six emotions in the question, only one is positive, that tells us a whole lot about our evolutionary makeup – by default we focus on the negative because it is a matter of fight or flight, negative emotions have a much bigger an impact on us than the positive ones.

I want to share a little about motorbiking and happiness from a female perspective (Stop me from rambling, now!!). Motorbiking is a lifestyle choice, when out on a bike, we can’t choose the weather, control the traffic nor other road users’ behaviours, we can only control how we choose to feel about it.

Similarly, happiness is also a choice, we can decide how we feel about anything: no one can make me feel anything without our consent. Visit my blog if you are interested in happiness, positive emotions and relationships!

If could have any bike in the word, what would you buy and why?

Not in any order, I really love all these bikes. The Triumph Bonneville for its history and classy looks. The Triumph Speed Triple because it’s sporty and aggressive – a natural continuation from my current KTM duke 125.

The BMW GS 800 for my adventure dreams (and also easier to handle than the 1200). The Ducati Monster 696: love the red, (Do I need any particular reason to love a Ducati?)

Finally, a Vespa because it’s great for city riding, has lots of storage, and I can be girly and wear skirt while riding it.

Who doesn’t like a Ducati Monster?

What is your hidden talent?

I’m a belly dancer. (Haven’t made it out of the living room, yet though:)

What is your piece of must-have motorcycle gear when you ride?

My jacket. I currently wear the Stella by Alpine Stars. It has CE 2 shoulder and elbow padding, fits me brilliantly and has a subtle dark blue color with a reflective strip at the back. I like it because it doesn’t shout out the brand with huge logos written all over.

In a tropical Singapore though, it heats up under the sun pretty quickly because of the dark color and the non breathable material traps sweat.

Time and time again, my partner and I lament that motorcycle gear for tropical riders have been a second thought for manufacturers. We have a huge combined market, and we deserve to be protected while enjoying our ride, too. We hope one day we are proved wrong and we really do hope that day comes soon.

AlpineStars Stella Siren – hot for Singapore

Describe the most significant thing that happened to you in the past 7 days.

My partner and I announced our engagement to our families and we spent a great Chinese New Year visiting relatives and friends in China. It feels great that everyone gets along so well, and we can’t wait to start the new chapter of our lives.